When you’re taken into custody, the situation can quickly become overwhelming. However, it helps to understand and assert your legal rights, including the right to remain silent. The U.S. Constitution's Fifth Amendment guarantees this right. What exactly does this...
Highly Experienced. Honest. Aggressive.
Criminal Defense
What should you consider before taking a plea deal?
When caught up in a criminal case, you may get a proposition for a plea deal, which is an offer from the prosecution (likely) to plead guilty to a lesser charge or receive a lighter sentence in exchange for avoiding a trial. While it may be a good deal, a plea deal...
Should you take a plea deal?
These days, plea deals are more common than criminal trials. It’s estimated that roughly 98% of criminal cases in federal courts end that way, and figures in local jurisdictions are not thought to be much different. None of that means that a plea agreement is right...
Michigan’s “Good Samaritan” law seeks to minimize fatal overdoses
Too often, when people are using drugs with someone who appears to overdose, their first instinct is to flee the scene. Many won’t even call 911 out of fear that their call will be tracked to their cellphone. Sometimes, even if they’re able to, people won’t even call...
Is taking an automobile always a felony in Michigan?
If someone accuses you of stealing, you will benefit from a serious, proactive approach. At the same time, you should also know that some theft charges pose more severe consequences than others upon conviction. As you might imagine, motor vehicle theft is one of the...
How does plea bargaining work?
Plea bargaining can be initiated by either the prosecution or the defense. When a plea bargain is in the works both sides will negotiate the terms of a sentence. When the defense feels that they have reached the right agreement, they will present the bargain to the...
Did the police violate your Miranda rights during your arrest?
Although the Miranda Warning is one of the best-known protections extended to those in state custody, it is widely misunderstood and misrepresented. Many people mistakenly assume that they have grounds to challenge their arrest based on their misinterpretation of the...
Your “five-finger discount” could be a felony
When you think about shoplifting, petty theft comes to mind. Things like a teenager stealing a tube of lipstick or a child taking a candy bar are what most people envision. It might surprise you to learn that shoplifting is known as retail fraud in Michigan and it can...
Second look results in dismissal of murder charges
When charges are dropped against a convicted criminal defendant after a significant period of incarceration, the reasons for such a sharp turn in the course of justice are rarely revealed – and even more rarely, do the reasons for dropping the charges provide a...
What are the potential penalties for drug possession?
There are many different drugs that people use in Michigan. They have different purposes and many times they are useful if people take them with a valid prescription. However, there many people who take these drugs without a valid prescription and there are others who...